Derechos de Autor

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are among the most important writings of the Yoga school, and have remained relevant for 2,300 years because of their wisdom and inspiration. In this webinar course, Ravi Ravindra will explore the heart and purpose of yoga as expressed in the Yoga Sutras, with special emphasis on section 2.2 which states that the true purpose of yoga is the cultivation of Samadhi, meaning freedom from the ego-self, and the diminishing of the kleshas, that are the impediments standing in the way of achieving this goal.

The course will be based on Ravi Ravindra’s book The Wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Ravi Ravindra is a professor emeritus at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he served as professor in comparative religion, philosophy and physics. A lifetime member of the Theosophical Society, Ravi has taught many courses in The School of the Wisdom in Adyar and at the Krotona Institute in Ojai, Calif. He was a member of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, a fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla, and the founding director of the Threshold Award for Integrative Knowledge. His last book was The Pilgrim Soul: A Path to the Sacred Transcending World Religions and his new book on the Bhagavad Gita will be published by Shambhala Publications in the spring of 2017. For more information visit www.ravindra.ca .

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Upādhi

A vehicle or “basis” used by the consciousness, or other beings in the universe. It is a Sanskrit word meaning “substitute,” “appearance,” “limitation,” etc. formed from the prefix upa- (“toward,” “near”) and the stem word dhi (“receptacle”). Its meaning is somewhat different from related terms such as sarira (“body”), kosa (“sheath”), or vahana (Hindi vahan, “vehicle,” “vessel,” etc.) For example, the various bodies — physical (sthula-sarira), subtle (suksma-sarira), and causal (karana-sarira) — are called upadhis, which suggests limitation, but buddhi is called a vahana or vahan, i.e., a vehicle.

Perhaps one could think of the upādhi as analogous to an electrical transformer rather than as a limitation, connecting and reducing the energy from a higher level so that it can be utilized at a lower level. One example would be the difference in functioning of the lower and higher mind, the former dealing more with abstractions or the essence of thoughts while the latter dealing with specific ideas, memories, beliefs, etc. Another would be the relation between the power of emotion which manifests in the physical body, but can cause damage to the latter only with persistent misuse.

Helena P. Blavatsky states, “Though there are seven principles in man, there are but three distinct Upadhis [bases], in each of which his Atman may work independently of the rest. These three Upadhis can be separated by an adept without killing himself. He cannot separate the seven principles from each other without destroying his constitution.” She also states that “there exists in Nature a triple evolutionary scheme, for the formation of the three periodical Upadhis: or rather three separate schemes of evolution, which in our system are inextricably interwoven and interblended at every point. These are the Monadic (or spiritual), the intellectual, and the physical evolutions. . . . Each of these three systems has its own laws, and is ruled and guided by different sets of the highest Dhyanis or ‘Logoi’” (SD I:181).

Matter is considered an upadhi of Spirit or Universal Mind. Akasa is also considered the upadhi of Divine Thought.